‘The Greatest Showman’ Soundtrack Was the Highest-Selling Album of 2018 by Far

"A Star Is Born" came in second, but only sold half as many copies.

“The Greatest Showman” was met by a so-so critical reception, but the P.T. Barnum biopic starring Hugh Jackman has taken on a life of its own. In addition to grossing $435 million and picking up Best Picture and Best Actor nods in the Golden Globes’ Musical or Comedy category, the film (or, more specifically, its soundtrack) outsold every other album released by year — and it isn’t even close. Not only was it the only album to sell more than a million copies, but its 1.3 million sales more than doubled that of its closest competitor, the soundtrack to “A Star Is Born,” which sold 525,000 albums.

That figure comes with a caveat, however, as the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga version of the musical and its accompanying OST weren’t released until early October. Still, it’s notable that the two highest-selling albums of the year were both soundtracks, a development that suggests musical-obsessed moviegoers are more inclined toward physical media in the streaming age than other groups.

According to BuzzAngle (per Variety), “The Greatest Showman” came in fourth when also accounting for streaming and “A Star Is Born” didn’t crack the top 25. Here’s the list of the year’s best-selling soundtracks: